Mechanism for automatically firing guns.



e. E. DIEI ZEL.

I MECHANISM FUR AUTOMATICALLY FIRING GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.14, 1910.

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

, v/l rJesseg UNITED STATES PAEENT OFFICE.

GEORG E RICH DIETZEL, F DUSSELDORF, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR '10 RHEI NISCHE METALLWAAREN- UND MASCHINENFABBIK, OF DUSSELDORF DEREN DORI,

GERMANY.

Specification of Letters-Patent.

Application filed November 14, 1910. Serial No. 592,304.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnono Enron DIETZEL,

matically Firing Guns; and'I do hereby dewhich is an inclined groove 1.

clare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to mechanism for automatically firing a gun by' the act of closing the breech; and the object of the invention is to provide simple and highly efiicient means which will prevent such firing until the breech has been completely" closed.

The invention will be set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of the breech end of a gun barrel having a. breech block according to the invention. Fig. 2 a plan, and Figs. 3 and 3 show a detail.

In the example shown, the breech block is of the wedge shaped kind operated by a cranked handle. The breech block lever has two arms and is pivoted. on a pin Z) in the breech end a of the barrel; one arm 0 of this lever, termed hereinafter the angle arm, carries a pivoted block ll which, when the lever turned, slides in a gi 'oove c in the breech block f and thus opens or closes the breech. Instead of the block (Z any suitable form of pin can be used. The second arm of the breech block lever is made up of two lever arms y and h coupled together. The arm 0 turns on the pin 7), while arin 71 carries the handle 2. The connection between these tll'llln' consists of a pin It: on arm It provided with one part of a bayonet joint' and engagiugwvith.the other part. ol" the bayonet joint which is in a cavity of arm r In arm there is a pin 11:, normally pressed by a spring it into a corresponding cavityin arm IL (see also Fig. 3), and thus prcvbntmgh relative movement between arms y and /z. The spring pin m has a projection 0 in \Vliou the breech block lever is near the end ol its movement. a pin 1 on the breech end aot' the gun engages in the groove and on furhereinafter fully ther movement of the lever compresses the spring pin in so that at the moment when thebreech is completely closed, this coupling between the two arms gand h is. released. The handle i can now be movedfarther toward the barrel whereupon arm k swings away. from arm 9. The arm h strikes against a rod r connected with a bell crank lever s pivoted in the breech end a. \Vhen the breech is closed, this lever s is adapted to engage with a lever 2! arranged in the breech block 1. The turning of the lever t actuates the firing pin arranged in the breech block f in known manner. The firing'pin is therefore actuated as soon as, after the breech 1S c1csed,thearm qof the breech block lever comes to rest, and the arm 71, has been moved farther toward the barrel by handle z.

- Patented Feb. 25,1)13.

In the above described construction it is.

possible that the coupling )in in between the arms 9 and 72. might be released too soon. The shot would then be fired before. the breech was closed and the breech block might-jbe'blown off. An accurately acting lock for preventing firing until the breech is completely closed is therefore required. For this. purpose the bell crank lever 8 has an arm u which moves into-the path of the block cl. The lengQi of arm n is such that. it cannot swing 'pasdthe block (1 until the latter has arrived at its final position, that is, until the breech is completely closed. The advantage of this look is that the block .11 is used as a lockingmeans'wlich toward the end of the closing motion arrives at or nearly at the dead position 'of the an le arm, that is traverses a fairly considera 1e distance while the breech block makes no or only a very small movement. The same result .may be obtained. if instead of the slidinn block (Z a fixed pin is employed to move the breech block and in like manner lock closing t .he' breech is closed, to actuate the firing 7 prising two parts movable on planes paralprising two parts, a coupling pin for holdbreech block to a closed position, and means on Such last mentioned means in e breech permitting one of said parts to be further moved in the same direction as in its initial movement, but independetitly of its'complementary part, as

for acting pin. a p

2. The combination with a gun barrel having a breech block, and a firingpin, of a lever for actuating the breech block compendentlythereof to actuate the firing pin.

3. The combination with a gun barrel having a breech block and'a firing pin of a lever for actuating the breech block coinmg such parts in fixed relation to each other while moving the breech block to closed position, and means for automatically disengaging said in from one of said as ing closed, to permit such the breech is part to befurther moved in the same direction as its initial movement with its complementary part but independently thereof, to actuate the firin pin. I

4. The combination with a gun barrel having a breech block, and aifirmg pin, of a lever for actuating thebreech block, comprisingtwo parts, a sprlng pressed coupling pin mounted on' one of said parts and designed to engage theother, part to hold bot-h parts in fix relation to each other while the breech block is being moved to ,closed position; said pin having-a diagonally arranged oove, and a fixed part for engaging sand groove to move the spring-pressed pin in opposition to its spring to permit one of said moved independently of the ot er part to actuate the firing pin.

In testimony Whereof,-I have signed this specification in the scribing Witnesses.

GEORG ERICH DIETZEL. a 8.]

VVitnesses-z- ALFRED HEN KEL, VALTER VoNNEoU'r.

presence of two subarts to be 5 

